Motion picture camera



g- 5- H. R. SCHENCK, JR 2,

MOTION PICTURE CAMERA Original Filed Aug. 26, 1932 .1 ll n i J) I ll'%////w III/i IN V EN TOR.

' Patented Aug.'6, 1935 UNITED STATES 'PATENT OFFICE MOTION PICTURE CAMERA Harry R. Schenck, Jr., Palisade, N. J.

Original application August 26, 1932, Serial No.

630,517. Divided and this application September 20, 1932, Serial No. 633,976

6 Claims. (Cl. 88-17) This invention relates to cameras and the like The casing ll comprises a bottom wall, a top articles, and is particularly directed to a camera wall IS, a front wall I6, a rear wall I! and side for taking moving pictures. walls l8. For supporting the reels l2 and I3, the

An object of this invention is to provide in a top wall of the casing is provided with a pair of 5 camera of the character described, an improved arcuate, symmetrically disposed, recessed wall 5 camera casing and film holders or reels therefor, portions 2| adjacent one of the side walls l8 of so constructed as to be readily mountable on and said casing, and extending to the front and rear demountable from the casing, and interchangewall thereof, respectively. Said arcuate walls are able so that the holders either may be used as provided with raised portions 22 having curved 10 a film feeding reel or the rewind reel. slots or grooves 22a of dove-tailed transverse 10 Another object of this invention is to provide cross-section, said raised portions terminating as compact, neat and rugged camera casing and at 23, short of the front and rear walls l6 and I1 reels of the character described, which shall be of. the casing, and extending to the top of said comparatively cheap to manufacture, comprise casing. The angular extent of the arcuate few and simple parts, which shall be easy to asgrooves is preferably less than 60 each, for the 15 semble and disassemble, smooth in operation and purpose hereinafter stated. The flat top wall practical and eflicient. to a high degree in use. portion 24 of the casing which extends between Certain features shown, described and claimed the curved portions 22, is provided with a pair in this application are shown and described but of symmetrically disposed, parallel slots 25 and not claimed in my co-pending application, Ser. 26 parallel to the front and rear walls of the cas- 20 No. 630,517, filed August 26th, 1932, of which the ing and adapted to receive a strip of film 21 present application is a division. therethrough, said strip passing into the casing .Other objects will in part be obvious and in through the slot 25 from the reel I2 and passing part hereinafter pointed out. out of the casing through the slot 26 for rewind- .25 The invention accordingly consists in the feaing on the reel I3. 5

tures of construction, combinations of elements, The reels l2 and I3 maybe substantially similar and arrangement of parts which will be exemin construction and are interchangeable, as will plified in the construction hereinafter described, appear hereinafter, so that each reel may be and of which the scope of application will be inmounted on each of the arcuate walls 22. The

30 dicated in the following claims. reel l2 comprises a cylindrical housing 30 having 30 In the accompanying drawing, in which-is a circular flat wall portion 3| and a cylindrical shown one of the variouspossible embodiments of wall portion 32 extending therefrom; and screwed this invention, to the free end of the cylindrical wall 32 is a Fig. 1 isa partial, side elevational view of a disc or cover 34 to cover the open side of the eas- 35 camera embodying the invention with one of the ing- Said disc 34 and t e Wall 3| are fo med 35 reels shown in partially demounted position; with central, aligned bearing openings rotatably Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line receiving an axial shaft 36 to which there is fixed 2-2 of Fig. 1; a spindle or roller 36a provided with any suitable Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged, detail side means for engaging the inner end of the strip of elevational view of my improved camera with film 21 0f t e fil T011 We ed by Sa d Sl 40 parts broken away to show the interior construcdle. Attached to diametrically oppo Points tion; and on the outer surface of the cylindrical wall 32- Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of one of the reels. but extending in he a direction With pec Referring now in detail to the drawing, l0 desto the diameter through the Points Of c ignates a motion picture camera embodying the men a a P Of Similar members each 45 invention, comprising a casing II on which is pr vided t a ear 38 receiving a rew 39, mounted a reel IZ'from which film is unwound, which att ch S member 150 Said y drical and a reel l3 for rewinding the film as said film wall. Each member 31, furthermore, comprises is photographed. an enlarged portion 40 adapted to lie against The casing l l and the mechanism for photoand-having the curvature of the outer surface 50 graphing the film may be similar to th str cof said cylindrical wall 32. As shown in Fig, 3 ture shown and described in my aforementioned of the drawing, the bottom surface ll of the memco-pending application, and includes means for ber 31 at the right of the reel I2, contacts the rotating a pulley l4 within said casing, for the upper surface of the wall portion 24 of the casing, purpose hereinafter described. As will appear hereinafter, should the reel I2 be interchanged with the reel the bottom surface of the member 3i at the left of the reel i2 will contact said wall portion 2 3. Each of said members 8'6 is hollow and is provided with an inner open or reressedside d3 registering with an opening 16 formed in the cylindrical wall 32. Said cylindrical wall is thus formed with a pair of said openings 34 registering with the inner open and d6 partially project into the opening 56, and

the strip of fllm El passes from the roll El'a, beneath the roller 35 and over the roller it, said strip of film passing through an opening 18 in the bottom wall of said member 3i and through the opening 25 in the casing wall portion 26.

For mounting the reel 52 on the arcuate wall 22', the cylindrical wall 32 thereof is formed with a pair of spaced, arcuate flanges or tongues 58 of dove-tailed cross-section and each adapted to be slidably received within one of the arcuate grooves 22a. Each flange 50 is preferably substantially of the same angular extent as the grooved member 22. Said flanges 58, furthermore, begin at the bottom surfaces of the members 3'! and extend toward each other. The inner ends 56 of said flanges iii] are preferably spaced from one another an angular distance equal to or somewhat greater than the angle of the grooved member 22. Thus for mounting the reel l2 on the casing, said reel is placed substantially in the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, and moved sideways onto the arcuate wall 2i to bring the grooved portion 22 between the inner ends 54 of the flanges 50. Clockwise rotation of the reel I? (looking at Fig. 1) will cause the flange 50 on the right of the reel, to he slidably received within the groove 22a. The reel may be rotated until the bottom surface ll of the member 37 on the right of the reel contacts the upper surface 24 of the casing. Likewise, the reel I2 may be demounted from the casing by rotating the same in a counter-clockwise direction until the flange 50 is entirely removed from the grooved portion 22. The reel may then be moved axially or sideways to remove the same from the casing. It will be noted that the angle between the inner ends 59 of the flanges 50 must be at least equal to the angle of the grooved portion 22 to permit the reel to be axially moved out of engagement with said grooved portion after disengaging the flange 50- therefrom.

The reel 43, being constructed similarly to the reel l2, may be interchangedtherewith, and the flanges 50 on both sides of each of the reels as well as the pair of members 37, will permit each roll to be mounted either on the right or the left of the casing and be used as a reel from which the film is unwound, or as a rewind reel.

Rotatably mounted on the central shaft 38 of the reel 83 and preferably readily detachable therefrom, is a pulley $0 in alignment with the pulley it within the casing, said pulleys being adapted to receive a belt 6! passing through suitable openings in the top wall of the casing. Thus the mechanism within the casing, not shown, but

described in my said co-pending application, draws the strip of film 21 through the opening 25, and photographs the same; and rotation of the pulley it causes the spindle 36a of the reel aoiaeea is to be rotated for rewinding the film. Gbviously the pulley lib may be mounted on the shaft 3d of the reel 22, should said reel be used as the rewind reel. If desired both reels may be provided with pulleys.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use. 7

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent? 1. A motion picture camera comprising a casing formed with a substantially flat top wall portion and an arcuate wall portion extending to said flat top wall portion, a reel comprising a housing mounted on said arcuate wall portion, and a member on said housing contacting said top wall portion, a pair of rollers rotatably mounted within said member, and a roll of film mounted within said reel, said film extending between said rollers, said member and said top wall portion being formed with registering openings for receiving a strip of film from said-roll extending into said camera casing.

2. A moving picture camera comprising a casing having an arcuate wall, a film reel comprising a housing, said housing and arcuate wall being formed with cooperating arcuate tongue and groove engaging means whereby said housing may be mounted on said arcuate wall upon rotating the former with respect to the latter for sliding the tongue into the groove, and a stop member detachably attached to said housing adapted to contact afportion of said casing to limit relative rotation of said housing with respect to said arcuate wall.

3. A camera comprising a casing having a top wall formed with a flat portion, and an arcuate portion extending from said flat portion to a side wall of said casing, said arcuate wall having a raised portion formed with a groove of dovetailed cross-section, and a film reel roller mounted on said casing and comprising a housing having a cylindrical wall portion, a detachable stop member attached to said cylindrical wall portion, and a flange of dove-tailed cross-section on said cylindrical wall terminating at said stop member and received within said groove upon rotating said housing with respect to said casing to engage said flange within said groove, said stop member contacting the flat portion of the top wall of said casing.

4. In a camera, a casing having a flat wall portion and an arcuate wall portion extending from said flat wall portion, said arcuate wall portion 'being formed with a raised portion formed with an arcuate groove of dove-tailed transverse cross-section, and a-fl1m holder comprising a housing having a cylindrical wall formed with a pair of spaced arcuate flanges of dove-tailed cross-section, each adapted to be received in said arcuate grooves, and the inner ends of said flanges being spaced by an angle at least as great as the angular extent of the grooved portion of the casing.

5. In a camera, a casing having a flat wall portion and an arcuate wall portion extending from said flat wall portion, said arcuate wall portion being formed with a raised portion formed with an arcuate groove ofdove-tailed transverse cross-section, and a film holder comprising a housing having a cylindrical wall formed with a pair of spaced arcuate flanges of dove-tailed cross-section, each adapted to be received in said arcuate grooves, the inner ends of said flanges being spaced by an angle at least as great as the angular extent of the grooved portion of the casing, and a pair of stop members detachably attached to the cylindrical wall' of said housing at'the outer ends of said arcuate flanges. I

6. A motion picture camera comprising 9. casing formed with an arcuate wall portion and a fiat wall portion adjacent said first portion, a film holder comprising a housing formed with a cylindrical wall portion engaging said arcuate wall portion, said cylindrical portion being formed with an opening, a stop member attached to said cylindrical wall and contacting said flat wall portions, and having the inner side thereof recessed, said recess registering with said opening, a pair of spaced, parallel rollers mounted within the recess of said member for receiving the strip of film from a rollmounted within the holder, said member-being provided with an opening to permit the strip of film to pass therefrom, and said fiat wall portion having an opening registering with said last opening to permit the strip of film to pass from said member into the casing.

HARRY R. SCHENCK, JR. 

